Halloween In GC
by HarleyChick91
Summary: Just a little Teriah Halloween fic


**Halloween in GC**

Because of the wedding debacle, Sharon hadn't decorated Crimson Lights for Halloween. Being the fantastic employee Tessa was, offered to stay after and decorate herself. Eventually, Sharon agreed. Wanting to spend time with my girlfriend, I offered to help out as well.

"Sorry we haven't been able to spend time together since you got back from your trip. I had a whole night planned but then it got a little hijacked by Kyle and Lola."

"It's okay." I smiled, trying to ease Tessa's guilt. "We can do that this weekend or something." Getting the step latter, I started to hang the orange and black garland. "Can you hand me the hooks?"

"Sure." Handing me a few hooks and the hammer, she continued. "I just feel bad that we've not been able to be like an actual couple very much. Anytime we try, my drama gets in the way."

Stepping down, I wrapped my arms around Tessa's neck. "Stop it. Yes, our relationship hasn't been perfect. But nothing in life is."

"You are." Tessa bit her lip realizing how quickly she said that and how corny it sounded. A soft blush tinted her cheeks.

"You are so sweet." Leaning in, I kissed my girlfriend softly. Knowing that we were alone, I had no problem deepening the said kiss. _I love when she cups the back of my head when we kiss. And that little massage I get._

"As much as I love kissing you, we need to finish decorating." Picking me on the cheek, Tessa stepped away. "Stop pouting." She chuckled. "The sooner we finish, the sooner you can kiss me again."

"There is a couch in the back…" I purred.

"Mariah!" Tessa couldn't keep herself from laughing. "You're bad."

Setting up the center pieces, I watched Tessa hang the window décor. "What do you expect? I have an amazing girlfriend who loves me and I've been out of town for a week. Yes, we talked on the phone while I was gone but it's not the same."

"No, it is definitely not the same."

"Then your celebration plans get interrupted by game night."

"Like you said, we can do what I had planned this weekend."

"I guess." _Ugh. I can't help but smile when I'm around her. The entire time I was gone, all I wanted was to get back here where I belonged._

"I know you love Halloween because of the scary movies and costumes but, what's your favorite Halloween?"

Opening the next center piece, I thought. "I think…last Halloween would be my favorite."

"Really?" Genuine confusion painted the woman's face. "Why?"

"Well, pieces of it were nice. Overall, the night wasn't great. But there were some parts that were nice." I tried desperately not to think about the costume Tessa wore. _Gah, she looked amazing. That makeup, the leather….mmmm._

"Pretty sure I know why it sucked…" Fidgeting with what was in her hands, Tessa apologized again for what she said. "I just wanted to keep you safe. I never knew where you went after you left."

"I went home and tried to eat an entire bowl of candy. Sharon stopped me and we talked. I came out to her. She told me that I needed to tell you how I felt. That's when I texted you." Looking around the patio and main sitting area, I continued. "We're basically done decorating. Why don't you make us some coffee and we talk? No one is going to interrupt us and it's quiet here."

"Okay. I'll make a pot."

 _I knew something was off with her. I guess it's all the guilt from last year. We've talked about it a little but not as much as we should have._ Making sure the outer door was locked, I entered the main area. "Tessa, you do know that I forgive you for all of that, right?" The musician kept her back to me. "Tessa?"

Facing me, pain radiated from the taller woman. "I don't know why."

"Because I love you." _I say that so easily now. I've never been able to say how I feel with such ease._ "After everything, we became friends again. It might have been forced because of Devon buying GC Buzz, but I'm glad it happened. I never truly hated you. I was just hurt. I felt betrayed. Back then, I didn't know you loved me too so it hurt even more. I felt betrayed and used."

"Because I did those things to you. I betrayed you by lying to you about not returning your feelings and stealing your journal. I used your most personal words for my own gain. It's unforgivable and yet you somehow found a way to forgive me." Pouring us each a cup of coffee, Tessa gave me the creamer. "I can never thank you enough for that."

"Like I said on our first date, I was so angry because I was so invested. Even after you not reciprocating my feelings, stealing my journal, and lying to me about it, I still had feelings for you. I was mad at myself also for letting myself get hurt. Not like I had a choice."

"What do you mean?"

I followed Tessa to the small two-seater couch in the corner. Each sitting against one of the arms so we could face each other. "You made me feel. You made me care about people. I never really thought about a long-term relationship or growing old together until I met you and thought you had feelings for met. I had thought about doing all of these "firsts" with you and when I finally had the courage to tell you how I felt…"

"I screwed it all up." Tessa murmured, looking into her coffee mug.

Before she could apologize again, I spoke. "Don't apologize. If either of us keeps dwelling on that, we can't move forward. We do need to talk about it though."

"I needed you in my life. That's why I tried keeping you in it even just as a friend. I knew when I got that text from you that something bad was going to happen. I just didn't realize it was going to rip my heart out and I was going to start losing you."

"As much as it pains me to say, you never really lost me because I could never shut my emotions off when it came to you. Even if you hate someone, that hate you feel means you care somewhere deep down." Entwining my legs with Tessa's, I shrugged. "Our history is complicated, but I'm so glad we're together. I was terrified that you weren't going to come back from Canada. Mainly, because of my mother." I tried not to dwell on what Sharon said. "When I saw Rey pull you inside, it took every ounce of control I had to not wrap you into my arms right then."

Tessa grinned, brow raised. "Is that why you snuck me into your room for the first week and a half? You could have gotten into a lot of trouble with Sharon for that."

"Well, you're worth it. Obviously." I nudged the woman softly with my foot. "All I cared about was having you back in my arms. We would figure out the rest later."

"I really don't deserve you." Placing her hand on my knee, Tessa shook her head in disbelief. "Getting me a job at Crimson Lights, at Dark Horse, continuously offering me your savings, and always thinking of me. I don't know how I got so lucky."

"I can say the same about you." Tessa's brow creased as she finished her coffee. "You may not have gotten me a job, but you've always loved me, been on my side, and believed in me. You make me feel loved and happy. It's also very hard to make me laugh and you have that down to a science. Not even Sharon can do that."

Finally, Tessa smiled enough for her cheeks to dimple. "You're the only reason I'm able to get out of bed in the morning."

"Only because I'm not in it." I mumbled into the mug.

"Mariah! I'm trying to be serious." The taller woman swatted my knee.

"Who says I'm not?" My brow rose in challenge. "Okay. Okay. Sorry. As you were saying…"

"Knowing that if I get out of bed, I'll be able to see your smiling face is the only reason I leave my apartment. You're the only reason I've not let the pressure of owing twenty thousand dollars get to me." Unconsciously, Tessa toyed with the necklace I gave her. Noticing my stare, she smiled sheepishly. "I really do love the necklace."

"I can see that." Finishing my coffee, I started to get up.

"I'll bring the pot over." I watched as the taller woman made her way across the room. "There's something missing decoration wise."

"Real pumpkins. If you'd like, we could go tomorrow and get some."

"Are you offering to take me to a pumpkin patch?" Tessa's goofy grin warmed my heart.

"Maybe. A lot of couples do domestic stuff like that together." _Domestic. Home. Oh, God. Am I thinking of wanting to move in with her already?_ I scoffed inwardly at myself. _Yeah, I'm in deep already._

Bringing over the pot and creamer, Tessa placed it on the table near us. "That's true. It sounds fun." She poured us each another cup before taking a seat. "Although, if Lola or Kyle tries to invite themselves, I'm going to say no. I want you to myself."

"Awww." Placing my cup on the table, I scooted over to sit beside Tessa. "We've had our ups and downs but as long as we have each other, there's nothing that will break us."

Wrapping her arms around me, Tessa agreed. "You're right." Kissing my hair, she nuzzled, inhaling deeply. "I love you so much."

Xxx

The next morning, I woke confused. _Why do I smell coffee? Tessa's still holding me._ Letting my eyes adjust to morning's light, I realized we had been covered up. "What the…"

"Did the two of you really sleep here last night?" Sharon's cheerful voice carried from behind the counter.

"I guess we did." My voice was groggy. Starting to sit forward caused Tessa to whine.

"Noooo. Don't leave. You're comfortable." Pulling me back against her, the musician tightened her hold on me. "Our alarms haven't gone off yet." _She hasn't realized someone else is here. This will be interesting._

"Morning, Tessa." Sharon smirked playfully, pouring us each a cup of coffee.

It took a moment for Tessa to realize who had just wished her a good morning. When she did, Tessa nearly jumped to her feet. "Sharon-" Her voice squeaked. "We're finished decorating. We just need a few pumpkins. Mariah and I were going to get them this afternoon."

Sharon laughed wholeheartedly at the drowsy musician. "I know you'll get it done."

Hearing water running upstairs caused my blood to boil. _She lets some cop stay upstairs but not my girlfriend._ Unlike my mother, Tessa noticed the change quickly. "Let's get some coffee and then go to my place to freshen up." Turning her attention to Sharon, she took the to-go cups. "Be back at ten for my shift."

Entering Tessa's small studio apartment, she tossed our bags on the couch. "You need to let it go, Mariah. Otherwise, it's going to cause a rift between the two of you."

"Let what go?" _Damn her being able to read me so well._

Smirking, Tessa went to start us a pot of coffee. "I know you still hold resentment towards Sharon for the apartment thing."

"Do you blame me?" Joining Tessa in the kitchen, I brought down her two mugs. "I understand not giving you the guest room but a random apartment that was being used for storage? Come on!"

"At the time, Sharon wasn't my biggest fan. Especially, because I about took her daughter away. When you're on the outside looking in, it looks pretty sketchy with my background. Which is another reason why I'm surprised you gave me another chance. I know you said you wanted to take things slow, and I was totally fine with that, but we had a pretty passionate night less than two weeks later."

Hot flashes hit me in waves remembering what we did and where we did it. "Yeeeaahhh." I grinned thinking about that night. "What did you expect though? I had a taste before you went to Canada."

"A taste?" Tessa smirked.

"Okay…multiple tastes… Did you really expect my resolve to last very long after I got to kiss you again? One deep kiss and that mini head massage and I'm nearly ready to drag you to whatever flat surface is close by."

"Nearly?" Tessa grinned. Sauntering over, the musician placed either hand on the counter behind me. "That was a lovely night." Dipping her head, she caught my lips in a tender kiss. Letting my hands run up Tessa's slender body, I was so close to where I wanted to be when the coffee maker beeped. "You just got blocked by a coffee pot." Kissing my cheek, Tessa went to pour us each a cup.

"Remind me to bring a baseball bat next time I come over…"

"Destroy my coffee pot and we will have problems." Tessa tried her hardest to stay serious but failed miserably. "Now, I can't get that image out of my head."

Smiling triumphantly, I laughed. "Is that good or bad?"

"I'm not sure." Handing me a mug, we drank our coffee in a comfortable silence.

"You have to be at work by ten, right?" All Tessa did was nod. "We could save time and water by showering together…"

"It doesn't work that way. I'm pretty sure we use more water." Letting her eyes wander over me, a slow smile made its way to Tessa's face. "But, I'll be happy to pay extra for the water we waste."

Xxx

Arriving at the pumpkin patch, Tessa slid her arm through mine as we walked across the parking lot. _I'm so glad we can be open now. Noah is back in London so most of the tension is gone. I miss him but it was awkward having him around. More so, after Summer blabbed about us. I really was going to tell him…eventually._

"You okay?" Tessa placed her free hand on my arm.

"Yeah, I'm just glad we don't have to hide how we feel."

"Same." Kissing my temple, the musician quickened her pace towards the main area.

I almost struggled to keep up. "You seem really excited about this."

"I've never done this before. It's exciting. I'm glad this is a "first" that I'm spending with you. We were never able to do this in Chicago. I tried a few times with Crystal but it never worked out."

Warmth filled my chest realizing that there were some "firsts" that Tessa hadn't done and how happy she was that we were doing them together. _Finally! It's not just me for once. I'm so happy that I can give her these experiences._ Getting a cart, we started through the vast rows of pumpkins. There was an adorable pep in Tessa's step. "What sizes should we get?"

"Sharon wants a few medium sized ones and a few small ones. Nothing bigger than my head." I wasn't sure why I found the comparison so funny but I burst into a fit of laughter. "What's so funny?"

"I don't know. Maybe just the way you said it?" _It was so innocent and puppy-like. I can't help but love her even more._ Wiping tears from my eyes, I tried composing myself.

As we walked, Tessa picked up a few pumpkins to examine. None seemed to be good enough for her yet. "Hey, Mariah." She paused, picking up another pumpkin.

"Yeah?" Picking my own, I turned it in my hands.

"Did you mean what you said last night? Thinking about us growing old together." My pumpkin smashed as it hit the ground. "Mariah?" Green eyes turned to focus on me.

 _I said that. I did. Oh, God. And she wants an answer._ Swallowing hard, I nodded slowly. "I did mean that, yeah."

"Do you…still want to…grow old…with me?" Tessa's voice quivered.

"I do, yes." Meeting Tessa's gaze, I smiled. "I do still want to grow old with you. Which is why, we need to get these assholes off your back as soon as possible."

"Yeah…"

As Tessa went for another aisle, I spoke without thinking. "Co-host with me."

Stopping, the musician turned on her heels. "What?"

"Co-host GC Buzz with me. You'll make double what you earn at Crimson Lights with tips. You won't have to work crazy hours like you do now and we'll be able to see each other more. We could take over Genoa City together."

Tessa stared at me dumbfounded. "Mariah-"

"It's not a charity. You will be doing work. I've been swamped since taking over. I need someone to help me. You'd make around twenty an hour. If you want, you could pick up a shift or two on off days." Taking my girlfriend's hands in mine, I made sure to have her undivided attention. "I want you by my side."

Glancing down at our hands, Tessa smiled. "You know I'm not good in front of a camera. Even behind a piano or guitar. What makes you think I could do with just notecards?"

"Give it a few tries and if you're still not comfortable, you can do stuff behind the scenes. Like I did at first. Research, planning, stuff like that is over half the job. If you did those things, it would be a tremendous amount off of me." I paused. "Think about it?"

Debating her options, a slow smile made its way to Tessa's face. "Can I play sometimes?"

"You can definitely play."

"Okay."

"You'll do it?" Tessa beamed. "Fantastic!" Wrapping my arms around Tessa's neck, I squeezed. "This will be great."

"It will be." Leaning back, the musician cupped my face and kissed me tenderly. "I really don't-"

"Yes, you do. We deserve each other. Now, let's get the rest of these pumpkins and tell Sharon she needs to give those extra shifts to other people."

Xxx

Halloween finally came and I couldn't wait to see Tessa in her costume. "Come on! I want to see!"

"One minute." Tessa called from the bathroom. "I'm just as excited to see yours."

"Yeah." Doing a slow turn, I was amazed at how well I looked in the tall mirror. _Damn. I look sexy in this._ The pinstripe, single piece dress stopped just above my knee. I wasn't normally a fan of short sleeves on a dress but somehow it worked. The fishnet stockings were annoying to put on but I knew they would drive Tessa crazy. To cover the massive V-neck, I tied a red scarf around my neck. Finishing the outfit, I wore a fedora and heels that would be coming off in a few hours. "I'm ready when you are."

"Alright. Turn your back."

Grumbling I did as she asked. "Okay." Hearing the door open, my heart started to pound.

"Turn around."

"Someone sounds a little-" All thoughts halted when I saw Tessa leaning against the door frame in the red, thigh length, sleeveless dress. The neckline wasn't as deep as mine but still showed just a little cleavage. She wore a few layers of pearls around her neck. The longest layer ending below her bust. Seeing a black lace garter on her right leg with a small fake gun at the ready nearly stopped my heart. She finished the outfit off with a set of black heels and a black feather boa wrapped through her arms and around her back.

"You like it?" All I could manage was to nod. Strutting over, Tessa flashed me a half smile. "You look sexy too." Letting her hands run from my shoulders and down my arms, Tessa placed her hands on my hips to pull me close. "We're going to steal the show as partners in crime." With a wink, Tessa dipped her head to capture my lips in a searing kiss.

"If we're going to make the party on time, we need to stop this." _It's so hard to concentrate when she's kissing me like this. Oh, but I love it so much._

"So, let us be late." I shivered feeling Tessa's hot breath caress my ear. Taking off my hat, she tossed it on the dresser. "It won't kill us to be a fashionably late." With a devilish grin, Tessa pushed me onto the bed. "What do you say, Boss?"

It took a moment to realize what Tessa meant. _Oh, I am going to be her boss soon. Oh, Lord. I'll think about that later._ With a grin, I took Tessa's hand. "We're going to be so late…"

Xxx

Sneaking into Crimson Lights nearly an hour late, we almost made it but Lola and Kyle blew it. "There you guys are!" Lola called from the counter. Which alerted my mother to our arrival. "Where have you two been?"

"Here." Tessa and I answered in unison. Sharon smirking from behind the counter. Kyle noticing the fluster in our voices just laughed.

"Shut up, Kyle." I glared. "I had trouble zipping this dress."

"I'm sure you did." Kyle grinned as he wrapped an arm around Lola. "What are you guys planning after this?"

"Going home." Tessa answered with a little too much force.

Feeling my face start to burn, I laced my arm through Tessa's and dragged her towards the punch bowl. "Easy now. They may have put a damper on our plans to celebrate my return, but we made up for that."

"Multiple times…" Tessa grinned, tugging at my scarf.

Swatting her hand away, I tried to stay serious. "Just a few hours and then we can go home. Costume contest, a little dancing, and socializing will do us both good. Besides, I need to get some pictures and quotes for GC Buzz." Glancing over the musician, I bit my lip. Clearing my throat, I tried not to think about earlier.

"Mmmhmm and I'm the one who's having trouble keeping my mind out of the gutter? I know that look, Miss. Copeland." Taking my chin between her fingers, Tessa kissed me softly. "Let's have a little bit of G-rated fun and save the other for later."

"Deal." Holding out my arm, I smiled. "Ready, Bonnie?"

Looping her arm through mine, Tessa beamed. "Ready, Clyde. Let's get this party started."


End file.
